Overview
This session will focus on conducting research alongside people of color using AAC, family members of people of color using AAC, university researchers of color using and not using AAC, and other academic faculty using and not using AAC. We will review lessons learned involving planning the study, working with moderators, and using data analysis techniques. We will elaborate on what our findings and our experiences tell us about implications for setting the itinerary for future research and practice with respect to serving people using AAC from various historically marginalized communities.
Session Content Disclosure: This session focuses on research conducted by the presenters with funding from USSAAC and the RERC on AAC. There will be little or no reference to other similar research projects.
Learning Objectives
- Identify three unmet needs of people from diverse populations using AAC regarding service delivery and access.
- Describe how two techniques (Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Integrated Knowledge Translation (IKT)) promote further understanding of the needs of individuals from diverse populations using AAC regarding service delivery and access.
- Define two opportunities for future research and practice with respect to serving people using AAC from diverse backgrounds and identities.
Primary & Secondary Strands
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC); Research
Target Audience
- AT Specialists
- Caregivers
- Communication Specialist
- Consumers/Individuals with Disabilities
- Consultants/Trainers
- Disability Services
- Educators
- Faculty/Instructors - Higher Education
- Family Members
- Government/Non-Profit Agencies
- Paraprofessionals
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Special Education Educators
- Transition Coordinator
- Vocational Rehabilitation
Experience Level
Intermediate
Primary Life Cycle Addressed
All
Session Delivery Format
In-person presentation with recording
Course Schedule
This course was given at the ATIA 2023 Conference on Friday, February 3 from 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM (EST)
Continuing Education Credits
For Satisfactory Completion and Continuing Education information, please visit: ATIA Learning Center CEUs
This session recording is offered for the following CE Provider Credits:
ACVREP; AOTA; IACET
For: 0.10 CEU Units or 1.0 CEU Hours.
End date of CRC CEUs offering: January 30, 2024
As this course was included in the ATIA 2023 Virtual Event series, please refer to the ATIA Learning Center CEUs page for further information on how to submit your CRC CEUs for this course to CRCC.
ASHA CE Information: Recorded Session
Start date of ASHA CEUs offering: August 15, 2023
End date of ASHA CEUs offering: December 31, 2023
Speaker/s:
Shelley Lund, PhD, CCC-SLP
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Associate Professor
Biography
Shelley Lund, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department at the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin. She is also the Director of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (AAC) Lab in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Health Sciences which is dedicated to research to improve the lives of individuals who have complex communication needs and require AAC systems. Dr. Lund's research interests are in the areas of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (AAC) and child language development and disorders. Dr. Lund's research addresses how to improve outcomes for individuals who use AAC. Dr. Lund is engaged in a multi-site study investigating the clinical decision-making of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) during AAC assessment.
Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
Shelley Lund is a salaried faculty member at the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin.
Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: Yes
Shelley Lund is a member of the United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (USSAAC) but receives no compensation. USSAAC funded the mentioned research study in this presentation.
Tracy Rackensperger, PhD
RERC on AAC (University of Georgia)
Biography
Tracy Rackensperger, PhD currently holds the faculty position of Public Service Assistant within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Institute on Human Development and Disability at the University of Georgia. As a Public Service Assistant, Dr. Rackensperger currently participates in several activities. These activities are: include overseeing the development and implementation of community education and outreach activities about the Institute's numerous programs and activities to people with disabilities, family members, paraprofessionals, policymakers, and the general public, attending meetings and conferences, conducting training/technical assistance regarding areas of expertise, and preparing articles for media publication. Dr. Rackensperger has conducted a number of research studies, including published scholarly works regarding augmentative communication and people with disabilities. She has personally used AAC for over 35 years.
Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
The presenter's research is funded by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant 90REGE0014) to the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (RERC on AAC). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: Yes
Tracy Rackensperger has personally used AAC for over 35 years.
Yoosun Chung, PhD
George Mason University, Associate Professor
Biography
Yoosun Chung, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Division of Special Education and disAbility Research of the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University. Chung received her doctoral degree from George Mason University with a focus on Assistive Technology (AT). Her research interests are individuals who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (AAC), individuals with disAbilities and AT. She received her bachelor's degree from the George Mason University in Computer Science and her master's degree from the Cornell University in Computer Science.
Chung has served as the Past President of the United States Society for AAC (USSAAC) since January 2022. She was the recipient of the 2020 Online Teaching Excellence Award and 2012 Teaching Excellence Award - Teaching with Technology from the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning at George Mason University. In addition, she received the Edwin and Esther Prentke AAC Distinguished Lecture Award from American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) in 2017 and WORDS+/ISAAC Outstanding Consumer Lecture Award from the International Society for AAC (ISAAC).
Relevant Financial Relationship: Yes
Yoosun Chung is a salaried faculty member at George Mason University.
Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: Yes
Yoosun Chung is the Past President of the United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) (USSAAC) but receives no compensation. USSAAC funded the mentioned research study in this presentation. Yoosun Chung personally uses AAC.